Just a Wanderer
by Sammo909
Summary: Not everybody wants to rule the world, some just want to go on an adventure before heading home with their best friend by their side. When Yggdrasil ends a solo player finds himself in circumstances he had only dreamed possible, but with a loyal companion by his side there's no reason he can't make the best of it.
1. Chapter 1

At the dawn of the twenty-first century virtual reality was only a fledgling technology, despite the imaginings of the writers and scientists of the era it took almost a century before humans could enter fully immersive worlds.

Fully immersive at this point meaning an avatar could walk, speak and interact with other players and world items as well as navigate terrain. Regrettably the senses of taste and smell were not included though that was probably for the best considering the filthy and unpredictable nature of dungeon delving. Touch however was more complicated, a player could 'touch' in-game objects but the sensation of feeling was significantly dulled and pain was removed completely for safety's sake but a player could feel a slight pressure in response to physical stimuli. Lying down for example they would feel a slight weight on their backs or whichever side they lay on but whether laying on rough granite or feathered pillows the sensation would be the same. Traversing a cavern filled with magma or conquering a snowy peak would expose the avatar to heat and cold respectively but apart from possible environmental debuffs for extreme temperatures the actual sensation was rather mild. If someone was unfortunate enough to fall into a pool of lava the most they would feel is warmth before respawning. Don't ask how many players died trying that, it even got its own achievement - 'Last Jacuzzi'.

Even in my time a person uploading their mind to the internet and existing as a digital consciousness remained pure science fiction, despite what some deluded forum posters might insist.

I was never one to rush into buying the newest toys or gadgets. When Dive Systems(tm) cornered the market in gaming technology I was one of those who waited until they became a little cheaper before I spoiled myself with the upgrade. Now years later I can hardly imagine how people played games with something as clunky as a motion tracker and haptic interface.

When the DMMORPG Yggdrasil was announced the response was massive. Critics called it a bold statement but warned against believing promises of this scale, claiming that over two hundred playable races and classes was impossible to deliver. Fans, remembering their love for the studio's past works said that it would be the game of the year if not the decade and moved to pre-order by the thousands. Then after some time had passed and the beta testers had been released from their Non Disclosure Agreements it was discovered the promise of over two hundred classes was in fact a falsehood, the truth was there were over seven hundred races and racial variants and the combined choice of classes, skills and crafts was over TWO THOUSAND.

The internet exploded.

On the day that Yggdrasil's servers opened it broke records for the most traffic of any launch day in videogame history. As well as the longest login queue. Hundreds of thousands of players braved day-long waits to purchase, install and enter the world of Yggdrasil.

I was not one of them.

Several months after the release I had read reviews, watched gameplay videos, witnessed the hype and success and decided that I could spare the money to keep myself entertained for a few weeks. Twenty four hours later I realized I had spent half my weekend in a virtual world. Time passed, weeks and months later I had found a passion for gaming I hadn't known in years. I devoured the lore, purchased guidebooks, artbooks and merchandise without regret for every scrap I possessed and consumed brought me closer to that world.

Yggdrasil was the most popular DMMORPG ever created, not just because of its obvious features like graphics and gameplay which now twelve years later were still considered top rate, but also because of the vastness of the world which borrowed primarily from Norse mythology as the name suggested. Lastly because of the sheer number of variables that comprised character creation. Third-party graphics mods were also available, increasing the players' potential for individual customization even further.

Until Yggdrasil most RPGs would give the player an option of several generic races - men, elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. and one of less than a dozen character classes - warrior, healer, thief, wizard or archer. Yggdrasil had significantly more of both. In standard MMORPGs the player would choose a class and during the game pick from a selection of optional skills or 'professions' such as blacksmithing or alchemy. Yggdrasil did things a little differently, each class could be raised to a maximum level of fifteen before needing to choose another, or you could level up once then choose another class until you reached the game's level cap of one hundred. Not all classes maxed out at fifteen however, certain trades and skills were limited to ten and elite classes, the more specialized forms of lower and combined classes - for example a warrior with sufficient levels in stealth could become an assassin or ninja, or a mage who had mastered the corresponding skill tree could unlock the appropriate archmage class. These elite classes were limited to ten or five levels. The superfluous classes, those that were unnecessary for gameplay but added an extra dimension to roleplaying such as cooking, trader and musician generally only went up to five.

Would you like to be a skilled warrior who wears heavy plate and carries a sword and shield? There are hundreds of games like that. Do you want to be a warrior monk who casts illusions, uses poisoned throwing darts and plays the lute in a tavern for coppers on saturday nights? Do you want to be an elephant centaur rogue with heterochromia who steals chickens and raids gardens so she has the ingredients required to keep her restaurant open? Do you want to be a blue skinned, pale haired demon that ran away to become a priest, got married to an ent and now teaches archery to low level players so he can afford to take classes on leatherworking? Then Yggdrasil is everything you need.

Yggdrasil was everything you wanted it to be, but it was still just a game. And as I logged in for the last time I had no idea just how important a decision, how many lives would be changed and where life would take me had I not picked that box up off the shelf in the game store all those years ago.

When I opened my eyes I found myself standing in a simple room, the walls and floor were the dark grey of polished slate with a hand-woven rug in the centre of the floor next to a double sized bed frame topped with a straw mattress and thick blankets of coarse wool. At least I assumed it was wool, it suited the theme but there was no way to test it. Shame, it looked rather inviting. Seated on the bed was my closest companion exactly where I left her, she had barely reacted to my appearance save turning her head and would've sat there motionless without complaint if I didn't do anything. "Hey Cutie, miss me?" If I could I would have smiled. After telling her to follow me I turned and left the room, knowing without looking that she would be three steps behind me the entire way. Hearing her soft footfalls as I descended the stairs to the inn's common area was familiar, comforting in a way.

As I walked down the hall I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a brass shield hanging from the wall and polished to a high shine. A lightly tanned, dark haired man of above average height with a slender, Tarzan-like physique hidden underneath high-level armour - as always I tried to model my avatar's facial appearance based on my own without too many embellishments, though I was actually brunette. The armour was one of the best possible sets available for a Hunter class player - toughened leather dyed a green so dark it was nearly black, dragon scales torn from the hide of a Great Wyrm and dark iron in patterns designed to give off an intimidating tribal appearance. Over that hung a cloak made of fancloth, an exotic material that bent light around it making the wearer almost disappear into the background, though being a game I would have to be stationary, in sneak mode and activate the ability. On my head I wore a helm crafted with the skull and hide of a Chagrin, a great wolf from the mountains of Niflheim.

Armour and weapons in Yggdrasil strived to balance art and practicality in appearance. Some moreso than others.

The inn I had logged out at yesterday was run by a female orc and as always she stood behind the counter in the bar wearing the same dress and stained apron. I moved through the nearly empty room, past the crackling fire staving off the virtual cold, the only other patrons being the town's NPC inhabitants and stood before the owner. She looked up from cleaning a perfectly clean mug with a soiled rag as I approached, beginning with one of the rote conversations I had heard a thousand times before.

"Welcome to my tavern, Adventurer. What do you need?" As the trade menu opened in front of me I scrolled through quickly, knowing the range well. After spoiling myself with some roasted meats and fresh fruits I looked to the drinks, choosing some huntmaster's brew and strawberry vodka. The higher level items weren't cheap but considering the date I saw no reason to be stingy.

On our way out I threw a gold coin to the bard playing a wordless tune on a flute carved from a horn bound in strips of ash, he played well but I thought it far too cheerful a song for today.

A short ride via griffin and close to half an hour on foot later we had reached our destination. As I moved my head left and right I gazed over the mountain we had scaled - Glittertind, second highest of the mountain range of Jotunheim. The breathtaking snowy vista on its own showed how much time and care had been put into making this virtual world but it was merely a distraction from the sight above where a stunning recreation of the aurora borealis lit up the night sky. If this place felt half as cold as it looked it would've been unbearable for the both of us.

I say 'us', but in truth I was the only person here tonight. My companion being not another player but an NPC, one I had spent literal months grinding quests and gathering resources so I could have the capital to afford the creation costs. As far as I knew I was still one of the few solo players to have a personal NPC, the costs being high enough to prohibit others. Ordinarily player crafted NPCs were only possessed by guilds and kept as guardians for their halls, castles and keeps. The larger the guild the more NPCs they could create and house, it was considered both a reward for and a mark of success.

She was beautiful, though I wish I could take credit for that I had never been the artistic type - I had paid other players for advice on NPC building and crafted her appearance, behaviour and skills with their assistance. Her biography I had written on my own. A pair of violet eyes gazed out of a round face, painstakingly crafted to fit my own definition of cute, a button nose unlike the normal flattened one that was a racial trait of the demihuman species and the long grey ears atop her head were almost painfully adorable.

A Lapine, or bunnygirl to use the common term was her species, and after the years we had spent together in game I couldn't find it in myself to leave her alone at the end. It was ridiculous I know, but outside of work this character was the closest thing I had to a friend. Judith Wildehopps, the first and only NPC I had made, admittedly with some help. The name had taken some time to decide on, after googling mythology concerning rabbits I now knew more than I thought there was to know about their place in human customs and history, but unsatisfied I then turned to fictional characters before finding her namesake. It had required heading to some old places on the internet and I learned things I could have spent my life in blessed ignorance of.

Did you know there was a cult in Russia that worshiped a cartoon mouse? People are weird.

Each race in Yggdrasil had benefits and drawbacks, with humans being the unique perkless and (arguably) faultless Jack of All Trades, and each playable race had non-player characters as everything from peasants to kings. But I admit the strengths and weaknesses of the race weren't really why I chose a Lapine as my companion. The truth is I did it because they were cute.

I was bored and lonely, sue me.

"Quite the view." I commented, referring to lightshow in the night sky. She didn't respond of course, speech was programmed into game content NPCs only. Other, earlier video games had allowed players to customize characters with personal sound bytes with predictably obscene results. As Yggdrasil was only an M15 game such practices were not allowed to maintain a somewhat family friendly rating.

A part of me could imagine how she would respond though, asking why I never took her anywhere new. In this world there were few places that we- that I hadn't been, living the nomadic lifestyle for as long as I had. Others thought I was an oddity - having remained unaffiliated with any guild for as long as I had, longer than any player in DMMORPG history allegedly. This may have been the reason I was rewarded with the option to create an NPC, a privilege that was normally reserved for guilds. But that was how I chose to play and it had served me well enough thus far, it certainly didn't prevent me from having a substantial number of names in my Friends list. I liked to think it was because I was good enough at what I did to stand out - I was classed as one of the top Rangers in Yggdrasil for a reason, but more likely it was just my easygoing nature.

After some months together I found I had been speaking with my traveling companion regulary, just the odd question or remark, never a full blown conversation. If anyone asked I told them it was just a little immersion as a role player, it's not as though I was the only one who spoke to NPCs. There had been cases of internet addiction - people who were so invested in their online personas that they neglected the real world to a dangerous degree, Yggdrasil definitely had its share of those. In the early days of the internet such people were seen as emotionally stunted fools and not true addicts, honestly I'm not sure what my opinion was, I just tried not to think about it.

It was a beautiful night. A wondrous view, calm atmosphere, pleasant company - though a bit quiet. Though there were probably better places to be this was a fine spot to spend our last day, all good things must come to an end as the saying goes and Yggdrasil was no exception. Twelve years, most of those spent at the top of the gaming world, was a fine run for any property and it's not as though the studio had gone bankrupt, they had just decided it was time to move on.

Sadly not all players agreed, myself among them.

There were murmurs of diehard fans starting their own servers, whether those rumours bore any fruit I hadn't tried to find out. This world had treated me well, leaving now hurt enough without dragging it out and hoping that some selfless nerd would use their own time and money for our benefit.

"Sit." The commands for NPCs were kept simple, their AI unable to process complicated orders, yet somehow never confused ordinary speech that used the same words as commands, that kind of programming was far beyond me but I certainly enjoyed the benefits of it. At this moment I had placed Judy before a short, flat stone undoubtedly created for just this reason and sat down next to her, giving myself a moment to enjoy the serenity. Part of the reason I had chosen this place was the solitude.

Opening up my inventory I fished out the food and drink I had acquired earlier, handing half to my companion and ordering her to eat I watched her go through the standard animation for a few moments before tucking in to my own fare. Whoever invented virtual tasting would become an overnight millionaire, until then I had to make do with miming eating until the [well fed] status window popped up. Judy had finished her fruits already so handing over the small bottle of spirits I sat back with my own wooden mug before raising it in a toast.

"To Yggdrasil." I spoke loud and firmly as though addressing a crowded room, knowing full well there was no one around to hear me. I drained the draught and wished I could lick my lips, a drink that expensive deserved to be savoured, Judy of course had already finished hers.

Originally I had put a couple levels into bard for my own amusement, to flesh out the experience of the world as a proper 'role playing' character instead of just another warrior bent on carving his way through the land. At higher levels though a raid party could be made or broken by the quality of their buffs and so I found myself in more demand than I expected. Brushing my fingers along the strings of my worn dulcimer the skill menu opened up and I picked a song to fit my mood. Right now I decided on ' _The Wind That Shakes The Willow'._

Not all songs in a bard's repertoire were enchantments, most like this one were just music for the sake of music. A song of loss, of mourning what was and may never be again. Folk music actually had quite a resurgence in popularity thanks in no small part to Yggdrasil, beyond a game this was a cultural icon. Personally I became so enamoured that I actually bought a dulcimer and fumbled along until I could play passably well. It took a few years but eventually I became confident enough that I started a YouView channel, I still had a couple thousand subscribers - not too shabby.

Eventually the last notes of my playing were carried off on the wind and I returned the instrument to my inventory before taking the last of the alcohol. A long draught gave me a moment to think on what should come next. I ignored the popup box that told me I had become inebriated.

"Hey, remember that time on the raft across Ormt when I tried to stand on the bow but fell off and had to swim the rest of the way?" No response of course, by this point I was whistling in the dark.

{Server shutdown in 5 minutes}

The announcement distracted me, had the night really passed so quickly?

If I had a real body I'd be yawning, one of the oddest things about Dive(tm) systems is that your real body retains most sensations while in a near catatonic state. Of course there are safety features involved that disconnect the user in emergencies, that little bug was discovered in beta testing when a player suffered a cardiac arrest. When he was taken to hospital it was discovered he had an irregular heartbeat, since it was a pre-existing condition his insurance refused to pay. Thankfully the gaming company showing far better PR than the insurers covered his entire bill and guaranteed not only the safety of players but free advertising for months as the public media shared the story. Feeling tired yet displaying none of the symptoms took some getting used to. Some players refused to login while sick or injured because the mental distraction was enough to throw them off their game. Of course there were those who pushed past that, and others who simply avoided raiding and instead grinded their professions while their bodies rested.

{Server shutdown in 2 minutes}

Like it or not I did have work tomorrow, but on the plus side I didn't have to wake up until six-thirty leaving me with more than enough sleep for the day. Tomorrow was Wednesday, I'd have to shave in the morning but that just means less time watching my shows.

{Server shutdown in 1 minutes}

Heh, massively immersive virtual world, still can't handle grammar. Well thanks I guess, so long and thanks for all the fish. With less than a minute left I reached out, rubbing one hand over the top of my companion's head, imagining the feel of her soft hair, wishing not for the first time I had some sensation of touch but unfortunately we don't live in the future.

{Server shutdown in 5}

We had a good run, didn't we.

{Server shutdown in 4}

It was fun while it lasted.

{Server shutdown in 3}

Gods, look at me getting all melancholy.

{Server shutdown in 2}

If there's ever a Yggdrasil 2 I promise I'll bring you back.

{Server shutdown in 1}

"Goodbye, Judy."

{Server shutting down}

"I'll miss you."

.

..

...

"Don't go."

Lethargically I opened my eyes, expecting to see the off-white ceiling of my apartment. Instead, I found myself looking at a starlit sky hiding behind a canopy of trees. Funny, my dreams usually aren't this clear. I knew I was dreaming because there was an adorable purple-eyed bunnygirl in front of me, she turned up in my dreams more than was probably healthy.

She just looked at me, staring with a level of hope and wonder that I had never seen before. "Elyas?" Her voice trembled, almost like she was afraid I might disappear if she spoke too loud. I yawned, shifting myself so I could lay flat and pulling her against my chest. "Tired now, talk later." The words came out as half speaking, half grunt. She was tense at first before relaxing, allowing herself to mould against my torso for which I was grateful, it's a little too cold to sleep out here without a blanket.

Even after so long my subconscious is still fixated on Yggdrasil. What I wouldn't give for just one more day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I was rather unsatisfied with the second chapter, released it too early and so I've redone it. Same gist, more details mostly.**

* * *

A good night's sleep could do a man wonders. Waking up cold and a little damp on the other hand... Judging by how I could almost taste the moisture in the air I had left the window open, though I didn't recall any rain in the forecast. My cat must have decided to use me as a pillow as I lay insensate on the bed, not the first time this has happened but he seemed to have put on a bit of weight. In fact, as I further left the haze of sleep behind I realised my entire body felt heavier than it should. With my left hand I reached for the weight on my chest until I felt something fuzzy and gave it a lazy scratch but instead of a soft purr I heard something sigh with pleasure in a voice that sounded disturbingly human. Eyes finally opening in surprise I blinked several times before realising exactly what I was seeing. Rather than the bedroom ceiling in my small apartment I found myself looking up at a canopy of foliage, the dawn's sun poking through gaps in the leaves. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath of brisk morning air and opened them again, clearly I was having another one of those 'I'm awake, no I'm not' dreams.

I smacked my lips, for some reason my mouth tasted like I had eaten beef soup and washed it down with brewed ginger beer.

The body on top of me shifted, unconsciously trying to find the most comfortable position before sighing like a moody teenager forced to wake early on a sunday and raised her head allowing me to finally look into a pair of vibrant amethyst eyes, upon locking gazes with me they widened in surprise and a hint of embarassment. I was about to make a joke, or at least say 'good morning' when I noticed the tears beginning to pool.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, bringing up my other hand but halted just before brushing her cheek when I realised I was still wearing my leather gauntlets. Uncaring, she nudged my hand with her head, nuzzling even as she began to cry. A laugh bubbled out of her between sobs and the odd hiccup. "I thought you would be gone when I woke up." She managed to get out the words eventually, I replied with a simple "Why?" and she respopnded with possibly the last words I expected to hear.

"You told me the world was going to end."

That was true, I had said that back in Yggdrasil. I was guilty of using my NPC as a sounding board but hearing dream Judy say it to me just sounded so ridicuous that I laughed causing her to bounce on top of my chest, the motion surprising her as much as my humour. When I had calmed down a little I decided to play along.

"And do you think after all we've been through I'd allow that to separate us?"

She stifled another sob, dropping her head onto my chestpiece with a soft thud. I waited, content to let her let it all out and taking the opportunity I decided to remove my gloves, one hand rested at the base of her neck, the other made its home amongst silky soft grey hair. I almost had to bite my tongue to stop from sighing at how good it felt to finally be able to do this even if it was still a dream, I spent a couple minutes lightly scratching and massaging the scalp before moving upwards and running my hand over her ears. Before long her tears had dried and were replaced by sighs and as I gently pinched an ear between two fingers and drew them up she moaned positively lasciviously.

Did I mention how fuzzy her ears were? So fuzzy.

Soon she looked up to me with such affection as I had never seen before in real life. Even if I could have stopped the smile that was stretching my cheeks to an almost painful degree I wouldn't have, what I did do was cup the back of her head and bring her down closer, gazing deeply into glittering eyes were rich with emotion even as a blush spread across her cheeks. I pressed my lips to her forehead, savouring the embarassed squeak she tried to silence.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stare at you all day I think it's time to get up, my cute little bunny." An adorable pout wrestled for control of her face before she placed both her hands on my chest and pushed off, knocking a good deal of breath out of me. "Don't call me cute." She muttered. Normally I would have laughed, either pulled her back down or raised myself to her level so we could continue but this time I didn't. Instead I dragged in a heavy breath of morning air and burst into a short fit of coughs from the moisture that tickled my lungs. That... was not normal. In fact, now that my mind was fully awake I realised several 'not normal' things were vying for my attention.

I was damp in places, something I hadn't ever felt in a dream even if I had been swimming.

I was sore, as though I had spent the night on a hard, uncomfortable surface.

I had pins and needles in my feet, the result of something cutting off the circulation. The obvious culprit being the boots I slept in.

Finally, I really had to pee. Which meant that I had to wake up before I did something incredibly embarassing. Something I couldn't even pass off as a result of being drunk since it was a weeknight.

Closing my eyes I willed myself to awaken, only to find myself surrounded by trees again. A feeling of deep unease overtook me. The thoughts that occurred were impossible, but despite all rational thought I could not help but believe they were true.

Raising myself to a half-sitting position I looked around the wooded area we found ourselves in, none of it was familiar. "Judy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Somehow we had been transported from that cold, barren land with barely enough wood to burn, nothing like the lush green place we had woken up in, I hadn't smelt air this clean since last the time I went camping. "Kansas?" She parroted, her confused look making her appear even more adorable, especially with the way her ears moved but the fact that she could not only speak but emote hammered home the fact that something was very wrong. "Weren't we in Jotunheim earlier?" NPCs aren't supposed to be capable of holding a conversation, something was very wrong indeed.

I took the chance to stand up, attempting to stretch the last dregs of tiredness from my body as I did so. Finally alert I took the chance to examine my companion, apart from looking more real than ever she was the spitting image of her in-game self. Five foot two, not including the ears with a slender build that all women in videogames come with unless required by plot. Her pants were a dark blue cloth rather than armoured as it would subtract from her racial agility and a lighter long-sleeved sky blue top under a polished silver breastplate marred by a patch of dirt and several leaves from where she had lay on the ground with me. Tousled grey hair, ending just above her shoulders - what was that style called again? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Now to take stock: I was somewhere that was neither home nor Yggdrasil, my NPC companion was with me and acting like a real person, I was wearing the same clothes and armour as my character was yesterday, and I was pretty certain that if I looked in a mirror my appearance would be the same as my avatar. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up, disbelief being replaced by anxiety the more I thought. Focus! Focus on breathing - in, hold, out, repeat. Good, I'm calm, I'm in control and- WHERE THE HELL ARE MY FEET!?

Looking down all I could see was grass, leaves and... that wasn't right. The ground almost seemed to shift, like light dancing on the water's surface. Reaching down, I touched nothing and grasped a handful of soft, light material, pulling it away to reveal armoured boots and greaves. The fancloth cloak, it was active. So, whatever passive abilities I would have should be active too then? A laugh bubbled out of me, as I swished the material back around my legs before pulling it away. Standing, _flying_ , standing, _flying._

"Are you alright?" Shit, got distracted again. Releasing the cloth I cleared my throat and looked to her with what I hoped was a serious expression. "Judy, how much of before today do you remember?" Everything from yesterday it seemed, as she rattled off the name of inn we had stayed at, the proprietor's name and what I had purchased up to and including the time she spent waiting for me to log in. Or 'return' as she called it. Does that mean she had been aware this whole time or was she looking back over what had happened through the lens of consciousness? It was too early for this kind of thinking, for now I had to act calm and figure out where we are. But I had one thing to take care of first.

I had taken several steps before I realised I was being followed. "Where are you going?" I gestured for her to remain where she was. "Wait here a moment." She complied and I moved a little further out into the underbrush until I couldn't see her anymore. When I returned, wiping my hands on some dewy leaves I could see by the red cheeks and body language that she had heard everything. Poor girl, those ears weren't just for show.

After returning to where we had slept I secured the gloves I had removed to my belt and decided to answer the burning question of was whether or not my stats and abilities carried over to this... wherever I was. My inventory seemed to respond to the same mental command and gesture, but instead of a menu a vertical well of blackness appeared in front of me and swallowed my hand up to the wrist, when I pulled back the item I had pictured in my mind's eye was in my hand ready to be used.

You know, barring shock, AI existentialism and the possibility of violent death or starvation this might actually be fun.

Yggdrasil's many schools of magic were divided into four classes - Arcane, Divine, Spiritual, and Alternative. Arcane magic was analagous to wizards of western literature, thankfully the school covered several classes from elemental damage to necromancy so we weren't swamped with hundreds of Gandalf clones.

Divine was practiced by paladins, clerics and healers and mainly focused on restoration and protection, though combat oriented characters could also turn undead, banish demons and combat infernal creatures with great effectiveness. Of course this didn't limit inhuman races from the list of practitioners, it seems that even a resurrected corpse can have faith.

Spiritual was eastern in origin and focused on imbuing talismans with enchantments for an array of uses from manipulating elements to barriers and wards. Some wondered why a western inspired game like Yggdrasil should have an eastern magic system. The short answer was 'Because Japan', the long was 'It's just a game, stop whingeing and have fun'.

Alternative covered magic that could bestow individuals with unusual effects such as a druid increasing their defense with **[Bark Skin]** or a Monk meditating to increase their stats temporarily. As a Ranger this was the school I practiced, taming wild creatures and improving my own abilities.

The act of using magic was a strange, almost familiar sensation but not unpleasant. By focusing on a well of power I had discovered within me I found that I only had to think of an appropriate skill and in return I would begin guiding it in ways that felt almost like instinct if not trained reflexes. **[Frost Trap]** A short dome of white/blue mist appeared on the ground before me and faded to a semi-transparent state. Usually that meant it was invisible to anyone besides myself and hopefully my allies. Taking several steps back I picked up a pinecone from the ground and threw it in a lazy arch. When it hit the trap there was a sound reminiscent of shattering glass as snow exploded across the ground several metres wide, interspersed with dozens of short but wicked looking spikes of ice.

A soft clapping sounded from behind. "Well done, that'll surely trip up some villains." Judy had been here the entire time, watching and offering her positive commentary. As enjoyable as it was to receive a compliment I believed I had done enough experimenting, the damaged clearing could certainly attest to that. It seemed that most of my abilities worked the same as they had in Yggdrasil, incredibly so did the items, the quiver on my back was fit to bursting with arrows and no matter how many I used it never needed refilling. That would save me a lot of money down the line, especially since I had no experience with haggling which I was certain was the norm in less developed societies. Admittedly that was a large assumption since I had yet to see any sign of civilization, perhaps it was time to rectify that.

Unfortunately there was one more problem I needed to face, I reached over my shoulder to the bristling quiver and drew out a single shaft. It was a wicked looking thing, primitive with its natural wood and real feather fletchings and unlike the angled points used by target shooters or the simple broad heads commonly used by hunters the arrow I held possessed a jagged, vicious looking edge that reminded me of a shark's teeth. Reluctantly I placed the head against my left thumb and drew it across in a single swift motion. Success, it turned out I could bleed in this world, hooray for the scientific method. "Ow."

A pair of small, warm hands pulled my injured digit away from the traitorous arrow. "Why did you do that?" Her voice was a mix of disbelief and exasperation as she cast **[Heal Light Wounds]** spreading an immediate soothing relief from the twinge of pain. "To remind myself that I'm still mortal." I responded, throwing in a nonchalant grin in the hope it would lighten her mood. It didn't. "You are. I should know, I've patched you up enough times." That she has, but I needed to know if I could actually be injured in this world and that was the simplest and quickest way to do so, not to mention the least risky. "And I appreciate it every time." The warmth in my voice caught her off guard, a pleased smile lit up her features before she realized she was still holding my hands, hurriedly letting go before she stepped back and awkwardly cleared her throat. Dear god, is anything she does not adorable? "W-Well then, are you ready to get going?" I accept full responsibility, after all I was the one who wrote her personality.

One patch of forest looked no different to the other but I had no desire to wander randomly... other than I usually did. At my behest Judy leapt onto a low-hanging branch of one of the taller trees and made her way up, I may have been a little too heavy to do the same. Only a few minutes later she came down with only a rustle of leaves and told me that she had seen several thin trails of smoke to the southwest - possibly a settlement and a large crypt to the southeast. Placing shelter and information above a dungeon crawl we headed west.

It would have been reckless to wander about unarmed, no matter what level I was so I had chosen my second-favourite weapon, a curved two-handed sword. I had toyed with a longsword and parrying dagger originally but settled on the more specialized weapon. The unintended benefit of losing five levels on death is you can respec some recent skills that in hindsight were a mistake to use. At least I assumed it was unintended, maybe the developers were smarter than we gave them credit for.

As we wandered I had a thought - if I was here in the flesh that was one thing, a missing person's case would be filed and in a year or two I would be declared legally dead. If it was just my mind in a new body however then that was more problematic. After I didn't show up for work eventually someone would turn up to check on me, then I would be taken to hospital and placed in the coma ward. Eventually they'd decide to turn off my life support, if this body and my old one aren't connected then no big deal but if they are still linked will I suddenly drop dead? Wait, what if they never find me? Will my body be left to rot in the apartment, to be gnawed on by my cat until the smell gets bad enough for people to notice? An eighty kilogram man, minus bones could last a housecat months, right?

Wow, this train of thought had taken a really macabre turn, and I was starting to feel hungry. Actual hunger, not just the ghost pangs of hunger I normally got after playing for several hours, thankfully I always carried food in my inventory so after drawing out a couple honey cakes and passing one to Judy it was no longer a concern. Shame I only had water to drink though.

For hours we walked through this unfamiliar forest, my thoughts a mess of 'maybe's and 'what if's as I tried to determine how or why this had happened. At least when this happens in stories there was some god or sage to explain the purpose for whichever hapless nobody, golden child or Gary Stu ended up in the new world but for me I got a bloody great lot of nothing. Well, to be fair that wasn't exactly true. I looked to my right where my adorable bunny was keeping pace, her ears up and twitching toward any sound or threat as we made our way. I may be far from home and thorougly confused but at least I had good company.

Huh, that looked like Boneknit. I knelt down to examine the plant, running the broad leaves between my fingers, turning them over and giving it a pinch soft enough to bruise. Even though I had never smelt such a thing in Yggdrasil somehow I knew that this scent was associated with the medicinal plant. Several paces away was a patch of mushrooms that I would swear were Imp Stool. I wondered if the people of this world knew the value of these plants or not, regardless I helped myself to a handful of each, storing them in a pouch on my belt for later. It was a worthy investment, capable of holding almost everthing an alchemist needs to ply his trade whilst on the road, including several times my own bodyweight in gathered reagents all kept separate from the standard inventory. A life-saver for alchemists and a potential treasure chest for PKers.

"Something useful?" I hummed noncommittally. "Nothing I don't already have." I admitted, Judy gave me an amused look. "Such a hoarder." I grinned and placed my hands on my hips like I was posing for a statue. "There's no such thing as having too many supplies." I countered piously before moving on, she rolled her eyes fondly and stepped in behind me as I passed her.

We continued on in this manner until near dusk, walking, occasionally stopping to gather herbs and making light chat. If today had been Saturday I would've called it the perfect start to a weekend, but as the sun neared the horizon I decided we would need set up camp if we didn't want to wake up cold and damp like this morning. As Judy went off to collect firewood I gathered several stones and placed them in a rough circle after thorougly scuffing the area with the soles of my boots, clearing it of anything flammable. We didn't have a tent, or even a tarp but I did have in my inventory several lengths of rope and some of my previous loadout that I had held onto for varying reasons. Usually sentimentality or if I decided to make an alt. The reason I was carrying them today was as Judy said, with the threat of Yggdrassil's end I had taken as much as I could from my bank vault as I could carry, some items out of a sense of nostalgia, some out of appreciation for their art or design and several because they would be necessary for a man to survive in the wild. Roleplaying to the end.

The rope was looped around a tree at about chest height and tied to a makeshift stake at a gentle angle, a thick brown cloak I had worn back when I was level seventy-something thrown over it so one side was open to the fire. Inside was placed my bedroll, it left space for little else. A light clatter heralded Judy's return as she dumped an armful of dry wood. "So," I turned around to see her setting up the fire. "Where are you sleeping?" She crossed her arms and responded haughtily, "I don't know, where's your fire?" I laughed.

Dinner was a slightly more complex affair, what with Judy being a devout herbivore and myself not but she surprised me with a handful of sweet potatoes she had found so as she set to cleaning them I pondered on what I could do besides pull out a handful of bread and dried meat. Cooking was another of those unnecessary skills I had dabbled in as a roleplayer, the sacrifice of a couple combat levels giving me knowledge of how to prepare a little more than roast haunch and potatoes as well as which wild plants were edible. Although some of what an alchemist collects is considered food, carelessly eating reagents is a good way to turn your stomach inside out, make your skin purple or something far worse.

After we had eaten our fill - Judy of her roast vegetables and berry sauce, me of roast vegetables and some kind of bright green parrot that was rather nice with some wild sage and rosemary - If I was going to be stuck in this world for any length of time my cooking skil would be a godsend, I had no desire to be stuck with corn and beans plus whatever meat I could burn over a campfire - I brought out a wineskin and took two swigs before handing it over. Judy took a single smaller swig and held onto it, looking into the fire pensively. "Copper for your thoughts?" She looked over to me, her brows furrowed in concern. "Where do you think they are?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly who 'they' were. "The other players?" She nodded. I sighed, taking a moment to put my day's thoughts to words.

"If it was a mass teleportation we all should've ended up in the same area, since we weren't woken up by screaming or explosions that probably wasn't the case." She nodded before throwing another piece of wood onto the fire. "If this world took the place of the old one then hopefully we'd be at the same coordinates as before, but since we don't know the geography that doesn't really help us." She frowned, and took another swig. If that had been the case then potentially some players could have been in a city one moment and the middle of the ocean the next, or suddenly plummeting twenty thousand feet wondering where the mountain had gone. Since that's where we were yesterday that was probably disproven. I reached for the wineskin and she handed it over, the sour wine cleansing the last trace of dinner from my palate. "There's also the chance that there is no one else, and you and I are the only people in the world." Judy froze, her face turning grim and fearful before - and this may have been the light from the fire playing tricks on me - she blushed. "Well, I can think of worse people to be stuck with." I smiled, cheeky bunny. "Me too."

We talked for a little longer before I decided to bring out my dulcimer again, playing an assortment of tunes until my friend's head began to nod as she battled the urge to sleep. It wasn't late but it had been a long day, plus the fact that we had both been up till midnight yesterday. "Time for bed, I think." She blinked slowly before her brain caught up with her ears and it actually looked like she would protest before I pointed to the bedroll on the other side of the fire. "No arguments, sleep." With an annoyed huff she stood on shaky legs and made her way to the makeshift shelter, I almost decided to get up and help her but she made the trek eventually. I know I programmed her to be a lightweight but I didn't expect that strong a reaction from a few mouthfuls of wine. The last task for the night was to pluck another item from my inventory, a Bottomless Flask - a magical item that in Yggdrasil was an infinite source of clean water for those who didn't want to either buy or carry a stack of waterskins, as well as those who refused to wear a Ring of Sustenance. With the limit of only one magical ring per hand that slot was often better filled with something that improved your stats or abilities, hunger/thirst/tiredness modifiers be damned. I liberally doused the fire until I was satisfied it wouldn't start up again then settled in for the night.

When I woke the fire had gone out, no more than a wisp of smoke remained that I could see dancing in the morning breeze. I had slept on my side this time with my back to the 'wall' of our tiny shelter, my right hand under my head, left arm held tightly by the body that lay flush against me. Before us lay my sword as well as Judy's mace and shield, left ready in case something unfriendly wandered by overnight.

As I was flexing my right hand, trying to work out the pins and needles that had flared up after remaining still all night a long grey ear jerked upright, hitting me in the face. I blinked, watching for a moment as it twitched like a meerkat looking for predators. I heard Judy's breathing change as she woke and calmed my own, waiting for whatever it was to enter my field of vision. Eventually it did, the lightest rustle of the grass heralding the approach of a wild boar only half the size of the ones I was used to, it trotted and sniffed it way to the edge of the fire where I had left the cooking gear. My left arm was still held captive so I reached over with my right and slowly, quietly, drew a throwing dart from my sword's sheath. One of several I had added for surprise attacks or dealing with weaker mobs meant as distractions, as always they were coated with poisons before battle and since yesterday was bereft of any combat they were likely still present. With a flick of the wrist it was sent flying, piercing through the boar's neck and embedding itself in a tree. I really needed to learn to hold back if everything in this world is that weak, the last thing I want to do is shake someone's hand and end up tearing their arm off.

Bah, the future could be worried about later, right now I had some bacon to fry up.

After eating I had Judy repeat yesterday's trick of tree-climbing to see how close we were to our goal. Unfortunately we had overshot a little too far West and now had to head South by Southeast to find the village she had spotted.

Our second day in this new world progressed much the same as the first for the most part. We wandered, I collected ingredients and occasionally we talked. Not much needed to be said, but the fact that we could made all the difference in the world to me. Things changed a few hours after midday when an unfamiliar scent tickled my nostrils. I asked Judy if she smelt it but her nose wasn't as sensitive as mine, all races in Yggdrasil may be equal, but some are more equal than others.

Markings. Not tattoos or spray paint, an animal had marked the area we were travelling through as its territory and judging from the silence it was big enough to scare off anything larger than a bug. I decided that discretion would be the wisest choice so we retreated to the edges of its markers and continued on around, Judy once again making the climb to ensure we were still headed in the right direction.

This time when she came down it was to tell me that we were only a stone's throw from the village, maybe a couple hours' walk. Faced with a choice between an unknown monster or a village full of strangers I chose the monster. It may have been selfish but I was enjoing our time out like this and wanted it to last a little longer. Besides, I was level one hundred, where the hell was I going to find something strong enough to kill me? Touch wood.

On the morning of our third day - or was it fourth? We were transported here at midnight so I'm not sure which is appropriate - things changed.

We were tidying up our campsite in preparation for leaving when Judy froze, her ears up and twitching before she sped off into the undergrowth. Setting aside my surprise I moved to follow.

On two legs there is no creature faster than a Lapine, by base stats at least, so knowing just how quickly she could outpace me I focused on my magic to activate one of my auras, " **[Umbra of the Cheetah]** " **.** It was a foreign sensation, the buff settled over me with a slight tingling, feeling like I imagined slowly being doused in soda water as an ethereal, translucent outline covered me with a distinctly feline shape. As I watched my rabbit race ahead a growl rumbled deep in my chest before I took off in pursuit. A primal excitement filled me, I found myself anticipating what was ahead - battle, danger, hunger - I realised I was licking my lips. Thankfully I had to maintain enough awareness to avoid crashing into something in these dense woods, because a part of me wasn't entirely sure what I would do if I actually caught her. She had made a fair distance between us, so by the time I caught up I could hear what caused her flight. Combat. Screams, braying horses, and now that we were closer I could detect the smell of smoke. Nearby I heard a high pitched scream and angled towards it.

Bursting out of the woods we found our first glimpse of the bloodshed. Two soldiers wearing blue uniforms and light armour stood over two young girls, the elder shielding the younger with her body, a large gash on her back. I was still moving as I caught sight of them and by the time I stopped I was behind them with my sword drawn. Forcing myself to calm down I took a deep breath and allowed the translucent outline around me to fade as I released the umbra.

"W-who are you?" The further one, without the blood-coated sword asked in a voice that shook. Before I could respond the sound of a scream distracted him as his comrade finally realised that yes, that was his arm on the ground and it did in fact hurt quite a lot. As they were both staring at the severed limb I struck, a single blow carving through the neck of the one-armed soldier. The second tried to step away, half way through raising his blade when I caught his wrist with my left hand, the sword clattering to the ground as I felt his bones crack. "Who sent you and why?" He was now several shades paler under his helmet but responded only with a pained gasp, I tightened my grip, growling my next words at him. "Why are you here?!" He screamed, dropping to his knees as his other hand weakly grasped at his broken arm but said nothing. I raised my sword high and struck the top of his helmet with the pommel, silencing him and letting his body fall.

"You're alright now, don't be scared." Apparently the two girls - siblings I assumed - hadn't even noticed Judy approach because they both jumped at her words, the elder gasping in pain as the movement jostled her injury. My friend hung her mace at her belt and reached out to the girls. " **[Heal Light Wounds]** " As the healing spell was cast a soft glow, a mixture of gold and green washed over her, repairing not only her damaged body but for some reason her clothes. "Healing magic." She looked at Judy with a face of wonder, her little sister was in equal awe.

Of course, nothing less from my loyal Paladin. It had taken me little time to decide which class she should be, a close range tank and healer to complement my preferred ranged fighting style was perfect. Not that the Ranger class in Yggdrasil was a glass cannon by any means, but a balanced character could be overwhelmed by a specialist who knew what they were doing. If they were a powerleveled noob on the other hand, a blend of stealth, traps and powerful strikes could take them out almost embarassingly easily.

"That's right," I kneeled down in front of the girls and tried to make myself sound as comforting as possible. "She's a healer. You're safe now." The elder was looking at me now, her eyes flickered from my face to my helm and back but her little sister was staring at Judy's ears, I guess demihumans must be a rare sight in these parts. "Can you tell me how many soldiers there are? What are they looking for?" They didn't know, only that they were killing everyone and - my heart clenched at this - that they had seen their parents attacked before they ran and that the soldiers had been everywhere in the village.

I couldn't just leave them here to be found, but I couldn't help anyone waiting here either, I looked down in thought and a solution revealed itself. "Move over here, into the tree line." Surprised, they did so with little delay, moving partly behind a shrubbery only a little taller than the elder kneeling. I untied the clasp around my neck and removed my cloak, the surface a rippling mess of the surrounding colours as the air caught it before I enshrouded the two, making sure they were huddled together close enough to be fully covered. The enchanted cloth had settled on a non-pattern of greens and browns that blended almost perfectly into the surrounding woods. "There, that will keep you hidden." I said as I pulled the sides together and tugged the hood down. They seemed confused, if I didn't know better I'd have thought they didn't know how to react to being saved, or perhaps they doubted a colour-shifting cloak would be enough protection, I couldn't really blame them.

Reaching behind my back I accessed my inventory, unsure how they would react to something other than healing magic and handed a small carved horn to the elder, Enri her sister had called her. "It's called the Horn of the Goblin General, if the bad guys find you blow it and a group of goblins will appear and follow any order you give them." Presumably. If a high level NPC like Judy had become able to perform complicated acts like a real person then it's likely simpler ones would as well. That made me wonder what my pets might act like in this world, I'd have to test that later. Her small hands curled around it, clutching as though it were a treasure made of fine porcelain. As I moved to leave their camouflage was pulled apart, the younger revealing herself in a manner that looked not unlike a joey peeking out of its mother's pouch as she asked for my name. I turned around so I could give them a reassuring smile and took the next few steps backwards, "I'm Elyas and that's Judy. Stay safe."

Wooden buildings, thatched rooves, dirt road, this village would have looked at home in nearly any fantasy story, especially since it was currently under attack from a group of merciless soldiers who were in turn being routed by a smaller yet superior force. Earlier I had used my sword against those two, now each man that fell did so with an arrow in their chest, through their neck, a couple in the eye and even one (hilariously) with the arrowhead sticking out of one ear and the fletchings out the other. The fact that I found that funny should have been worrying but something else was on my mind. This was too easy.

"Judy, let's split up." We had dispatched every invader we'd seen until this point, with nothing even approaching a challenge much less a threat and the town square was already in sight. "I'll head straight to the town centre, you circle around and save as many as you can while I take out their leader. Support me from a distance if you have to." Her nose scrunched up as she heard my order, clearly not happy about not being able to watch my back. It was a very small village, she could literally jump onto the roof of one of the buildings and see nearly all of it so in the end she acquiesed but before she could move out I put a hand on her arm as a thought occurred. "Healing only, no resurrection." She seemed confused, looking up at me with large curious eyes so I pre-empted her question. "We don't know their culture or religion and I don't want to be run off as heretics, okay?" She understood, although she clearly wanted to object. I had created her to be a morally upright character with a strong desire to help people after all. I watched her bound off around the corner of a house before I moved on ahead. With only a few streets and a few dozen buildings it was a short walk to reach the town square. Ordinarily a village centre like this would be used to meet traders, send livestock to market and hold festivals, today the people who lived here and had built this town with their sweat and blood were the ones being rounded up like cattle. That wouldn't do, not at all.

The largest group in the square consisted of what had to be the adults of the village, close to one hundred of them surrounded by the invaders, they must have been in this area when the attack began. A short distance away they had separated the children, holding them under a raised stage that on a different day would be used by the mayor when speaking to the town, now a cage where they cried and begged for their parents.

As I approached the nearest soldiers appeared stunned for a moment, as though they couldn't believe that an an elaborately armoured figure would suddenly appear in such a place. It must have been quite the surprise because by the time the entire square was aware of my presence I was practically amongst them. I spoke loudly, pushing my voice so it carried across the yard. "Drop your weapons and surrender and you will not be harmed." Clearly they hadn't expected this much resistance - or any at all, likely. "What nonsense is this, attack!" A small group of soldiers charged towards me at the order of one wearing a uniform indistinguishable from the rest, it appeared I had found the leader.

 **"[Ice arrow]** " As the shaft was launched it transformed into a bolt of blue light that punched through the poor fool taking point. In a flash of magic every drop of water in his body froze solid, the residual power exploding into a cone of frozen flechettes that tore into the rest. I took a moment to allow the shock to sink in, the day suddenly quiet enough that I could hear the whispers of 'magic'. It seems mages might not be that common here, or at least uncommon enough that a simple magic arrow could cause such a reaction.

"Halt!" The shout came from their captain, ignoring the fact that I hadn't actually moved. "Halt in the name of the Baharuth Empire!" I gave him the most unimpressed look I was capable of, then turned and drew an arrow before firing it at one of the soldiers surrounding the villagers. " **[Split Arrow]** "Instead of one five launched forward, each one striking true as five more soldiers fell.

"Surrender. I won't tell you again." The one I assumed to be their captain looked to be on the verge of panic as he ordered his men to attack once more. This time I used ordinary arrows, each one flying with the speed of a bullet to their target, a leg here, a shoulder there. They were lucky I had replaced my usual weapon with a much lower level bow, the trees I tested it on earlier looked as though they were hit by a cannonball.

Watching their comrades fall before even reaching me was working well to demoralize them, not that they would have been able to do any damage to me, I doubted they had even seen dragon scale armour before today. It was strange that they had this many soldiers and no archers though, perhaps they were on the outskirts of the town watching for escapees. With a scream for all of them to attack the leader ran to where they had left their horse. The coward didn't think he could outrun an arrow did he?

By the time Judy had circled around, with anger in her eyes and blood on her mace the soldiers had surrendered - the smart ones at least, the rest either lay on the ground groaning and clutching at their wounds or completely still. Except for that one over there who was pretending to be dead. Strangely the sight of my diminutive companion seemed to unsettle them even more than I had at first, some of them muttering words like 'beastkin' or 'subhuman'. She returned to my side as I made my way towards the leader where he lay trapped under his horse, a shaft protuding from its skull.

When we had been travelling earlier Judy had possessed an energy, a spring in her step that displayed her joygul, positive outlook of the world, just as she had been written. Now however her feet were heavy, her shoulder squared and her featured clouded with pain and anger, my little bunny looked downright wrathful. I didn't like it. I had created her as an optimistic bright-eyed character and seeing ehr like this was just wrong, if I wasn't already fighting these bastards that would have been enough to stoke my ire. "Any survivors?" I asked, knowing from her expression that I wouldn't like the answer. "Some." She said nothing more.

By now we had reached the lead bastard, from the way he was screaming it appeared his leg was broken. Good. Grasping under one of his arms I pulled, ignoring the high pitched scream as his damaged leg was further abused before I casually threw him back so the underlings could see him. None moved. On the ground they were, some kneeling as though waiting for the executioner's axe, I decided to let them stew for a moment before deciding what to do.

"Please!" With tears running down his face the bastard latched onto me with desperate eyes. "I'll give you anything, just let me go!" I hate cowards, ones that act strong until they're outmatched especially. I looked to the soldiers watching our little tableau. "Take off your armour." They had already dropped their weapons, usually that was enough to indicate one's surrender so some of them looked confused while only a couple reached for the straps or buckles. "NOW!" With a start, they moved to obey. Ignoring the cries coming from nearby I watched as they stripped every piece of steel from their bodies, leaving them strewn hapazardly across the field. "Theirs as well." I ordered, pointing towards the injured. When every living soldier excluding their fearless leader - they understood without comment that I had different plans for him - was left with nothing more than cloth and boots I gestured to the road that led to the village square. "Leave, if you return there will be no survivors." Some limped, others needed support but soon each one of them made their way to safety. As safe as any unarmed, injured man could be in this world of swords and magic. It felt good, doing the heroic thing.

As the last of them shuffled off an older man, possibly the village chief or mayor broke the silence. "Who are you, your lordship?" His tone was respectful, his features awed, but for some reason I couldn' t help but think he was suspicious. "I'm not a Lord of anything." Reaching up I pulled off my helmet for the first time today and gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "My name is Elyas Manethren. You're safe now." A sense of relief, almost palpable spread across the villagers, some weeping, several dashed for the children nearby shouting names. All through it though the old man stared as though he didn't know what to make of me, surely heroes weren't that uncommon in this world?

"Does anyone have any rope? We should tie this bastard up." I could have sedated the man, knocked him unconscious or even asked my companion to heal his leg but he didn't deserve the kindness.

"Five hundred! Five hundred gold if you let me go!"


End file.
